Special education rights will be topic of meeting

JACKSON - The next session of the Jackson Parent to Parent support group will be held March 1. The topic will be basic rights in special education.

According to a press release, Peg Kinsell, director of public policy and southern region training coordinator for the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN), will facilitate an introduction to the rights and responsibilities of parents of children with special needs under the new Individuals with Disabilities Educa-tion Act (IDEA) 2004, the new State Special Education Code 2006 and Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilita-tion Act.

Parents and educators of children who are already receiving special education services and parents and educators of children who are having difficulty in school but may have not been determined to be eligible for special education services will benefit from this training, according to the press release.

All are welcome to attend. Continuing education credits will be available.

Jackson Parent to Parent sessions are held in the Crawford-Rodriguez Elemen-tary School library, 1025 Larsen Road. The Crawford-Rodriguez school is behind the Johnson Elementary School on Larsen Road.

The session will begin promptly at 7 p.m.

The Jackson Parent to Parent support group is dedicated to serving the special education needs in Jackson.

The group's mission is to provide a forum where parents and those providing care can find emotional support on the challenges of raising a child with special needs and a venue for information on matters related to special education.

This is accomplished through encouraging, facilitating and educating parents and caregivers in addressing and resolving issues related to special education and empowering them to be effective advocates on behalf of their children and others with special needs.

The Parent to Parent support group promotes collaboration with the Jackson school district as effective partners in improving educational outcomes for all students. The group also provides resources and educational workshops.

To register, send an e-mail to jacksonparent2parent@yahoo.com or contact Pattie Carollo at (732) 886-9584. Inter-ested families are also encouraged to visit the Jackson School District Internet Web site at www.jacksonsd.org. Click on Special Education.